Background: The awareness of non-malarial febrile illnesses (NMFIs) has been on the rise over the last decades. Therefore, we undertook a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of causative agents of non-malarial fevers on the African continent.Methodology: We searched for literature in African Journals Online, EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases to identify aetiologic agents that had been reported and to determine summary estimates of the proportional morbidity rates (PMr) associated with these pathogens among fever patients.Findings: A total of 133 studies comprising 391,835 patients from 25 of the 54 African countries were eligible. A wide array of aetiologic agents were described with considerable regional differences among the leading agents. Overall, bacterial pathogens tested from blood samples accounted for the largest proportion. The summary estimates from the meta-analysis were low for most of the agents. This may have resulted from a true low prevalence of the agents, the failure to test for many agents or the low sensitivity of the diagnostic methods applied. Our meta-regression analysis of study and population variables showed that diagnostic methods determined the PMr estimates of typhoidalSalmonellaand Dengue virus. An increase in the PMr ofKlebsiellaspp. infections was observed over time. Furthermore, the status of patients as either inpatient or outpatient predicted the PMr ofHaemophilusspp. infections.Conclusion: The small number of epidemiological studies and the variety of NMFI agents on the African continent emphasizes the need for harmonized studies with larger sample sizes. In particular, diagnostic procedures for NMFIs should be standardized to facilitate comparability of study results and to improve future meta-analyses. Reliable NMFI burden estimates will inform regional public health strategies.

Phenotypic susceptibility testing of Escherichia (E.) coli is an essential tool to gain a better understanding of the potential impact of biocide selection pressure on antimicrobial resistance. We, therefore, determined the biocide and antimicrobial susceptibility of 216 extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESBL) and 177 non-ESBL E. coli isolated from swine feces, pork meat, voluntary donors and inpatients and evaluated associations between their susceptibilities. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG), chlorocresol (PCMC), glutaraldehyde (GDA), isopropanol (IPA), octenidine dihydrochloride and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) showed unimodal distributions, indicating the absence of bacterial adaptation to biocides due to the acquisition of resistance mechanisms. Although MIC₉₅ and MBC₉₅ did not vary more than one doubling dilution step between isolates of porcine and human origin, significant differences in MIC and/or MBC distributions were identified for GDA, CHG, IPA, PCMC and NaOCl. Comparing non-ESBL and ESBL E. coli, significantly different MIC and/or MBC distributions were found for PCMC, CHG and GDA. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed the highest frequency of resistant E. coli in the subpopulation isolated from inpatients. We observed significant but weakly positive correlations between biocide MICs and/or MBCs and antimicrobial MICs. In summary, our data indicate a rather moderate effect of biocide use on the susceptibility of E. coli to biocides and antimicrobials.

The use of high-grain diets in feedlots is associated with the development of acidosis and ruminitis, which can lead to the occurrence of liver abscesses (LAs). However, the effect of LA on carcass traits is not well known. This study assessed the effects of LA on the performance and carcass traits of beef cattle. Nine peer-reviewed publications with forty-seven treatment means were included in the data set. The effects of the LA were evaluated by examining the weighted mean difference (WMD) between LA (animal with LA) and control treatment (animal without LA). Heterogeneity was explored by meta-regression, followed by a subgroup analysis of the scores and percentages of liver abscess and concentrate level in the feedlot diet. Animals affected by LA showed a reduction in dry matter intake (−1.03%) and feed efficiency (−1.82%). Animals with an LA score of “A” (one or two small abscesses) exhibited a decrease in carcass weight (WMD = 3.41 kg; p = 0.034) and ribeye area (WMD = −1.37 cm²; p = 0.019). When assessing the impact of LA on carcass traits, the most reliable finding indicates a 1.21% reduction in the ribeye area, with no adverse effects observed on subcutaneous fat thickness or the marbling score in the carcass.

El objetivo fue evaluar posibles alteraciones en los valores bioquímicos séricos de bovinos de engorde confinados, recibiendo elevadas concentraciones de glicerina cruda en la dieta. Treinta novillos Nelore fueron utilizados para las colectas de sangre, las cuales se realizaron cada 28 días. Los animales fueron confinados durante 103 días, alimentados con cinco dietas experimentales con 0; 7.5; 15; 22.5 y 30% de glicerina cruda en la materia seca, formuladas para obtener una relación entre forraje: concentrado de 30:70, en la que el ensilaje de maíz fue la fuente forrajera, y el concentrado compuesto por grano de maíz, cascarilla de soya, torta de girasol, glicerina cruda, carbonato de calcio, fosfato bicálcico y sal común. Se utilizó un diseño en bloques al azar, con cinco tratamientos y seis repeticiones, utilizando contrastes ortogonales para determinar los efectos lineal, cuadrático y cúbico de la adición de glicerina. Hubo un efecto lineal de la adición de glicerina sobre las concentraciones de creatina quinasa (P=0.02), cuadrático sobre la de alanina amino transferasa (P=0.009), cúbico sobre la de urea y creatinina (P=0.008 e P=0.002, respectivamente). La adición de glicerina, considerando el tratamiento control, afectó significativamente (P<0.05) las concentraciones de amino transferasa, alanina amino transferasa y creatinina dietas para bovinos tipo carne, con elevadas proporciones de glicerina, ocasionan alteraciones en los parámetros bioquímicos séricos de los animales.